This chapter turned out pretty long, so I'm leaving the smut for the next chapter, k? ;P
Again; thanks for great reviews, I really do love you all for it! :D Hope you enjoy this one as well!
11.
The black hallways were around me again. Fear threatened to grab me. The eyes in the pictures followed me, burning my skin. My feet moved on their own, pushing me forward towards the room I dreaded. I knew this place all too well. The mansion in England. Raven's home. Or former home more likely. A familiar chuckle glided through the hall and I gasped. A big hand grabbed mine and I knew, without looking, who it was. Alcide was there. He was with me, keeping me safe. His warmth radiated towards me like warm, golden light.
'You have nothing to fear.' It was Alcide's voice. Softly whispering, but still there was a hardness in it. I feel myself smiling.
'What are you Alcide?' I ask, wondering where this man was coming from.
'Look at me.' His voice beckoning me to turn my head. Alcide's face turned towards me and I see his eyes. His eyes are...sharp and yellow.
I gasped and my eyes open, wide awake. I'm was in bed. Alcide's bed and sometime during the night we're moved closer to each other, Alcide's arm was wrapped around my waist and his nose was against my hair. I felt my lunges collapsing and I pushed him away almost tripping out of bed. My knees buckled and I grabbed the wall. My t-shirt had twisted so many times around my waist I realized that was the reason for my heavy breathing. I tugged at it while trying to calm my heartbeat and my shaking.
"Ashlyn?" Alcide's voice was heavily laced with sleep as he blinked, looking bewildered at me.
"What...are you!" I breathed, forcing every word out.
"What...?" Alcide, naturally had no idea what I'm on about and he sat up, looking worried at me.
"Ashlyn, come here." He said softly, reaching out to me.
"N...no!" I whimpered and I rushed passed him, heading to the bathroom. I grabbed my black box from my bag on the way. I stumbled inside, locking the door soundly after me. Alcide was there in a flash.
"Ashlyn! What's wrong? Come on, talk to me!" He begged, knocking on the door. I could barely hear him over my pounding heart. With shivering hands I pulled out my pen and a needle and quickly did what I've done so many times before. I took a few minutes calming down and brushing my hair back while I waited for the result.
"Ashlyn..." Alcide's voice sounded hurt and it broke my heart, but my dream was too vivid, too outspoken. There was something wrong here.
"17? What the hell..." I whispered to myself, groaning. I could feel the poison stinging my insides. I pressed my head against the wall. What was that dream? What was with Alcide? I knew it was trying to tell me something.
"Ashlyn, please, talk to me." Alcide sounded broken. I felt myself tear in two, one part wanted to let him hug me and keep me safe, the other part wanted to run.
"It was just a stupid dream." I mumbled through clenched teeth. I forced myself to get up and I propped the blood test in the toilet and flushed. I drew another deep breath before opening the door.
I looked up at Alcide, half expecting his eyes to be different, but they were the same, warm dark brown. Now they were looking worried at me.
"Ashlyn...?" He said tryingly.
"I...I had a bad dream." My voice was barely a whisper.
"Ashlyn, you are white as a sheet, it was more than just a bad dream." Alcide reached out for me and though the images in my head told me to stay away my desperate need for his warm touch won and I allowed him to embrace me and pull me in to a tight hug. My gasps came uncontrollably and I sniffled, realizing I had started to cry. Alcide soothed me, gently stroking my hair.
"Come on sweetie." Alcide whispered and gently picked me up. I pressed my face against his shoulder, holding tightly around his neck. He carried me back to the bedroom and carefully laid me down. He slipped down next to me, cradling me in his arms.
"Tell me your dream." He whispered has he kept soothing me.
"I...I was back in Raven's old mansion. The same dream as before. But...you were there now as well, keeping me safe. But..." I wasn't able to tell him what I saw. I didn't want to know if any of it would turn out to be true.
"You are safe." Alcide whispered warmly and I tilted my head up to look at him, once again confirming that he was still the same dark-eyed one.
"With me, you are safe." His breath brushed my cheek and I felt a warm shiver run through me.
"Alcide...?" I breathed, feeling my heart pounding hard in my neck, but this time it was for something completely different than fear. Alcide's hand drifted from my hair to my cheek and his lips gently brushed my forehead. I tilted my head up more, feeling his body go harder as I slid closer. His lips continued down, kissing my cheekbone, the corner of my mouth before gliding down to my jaw. I bent my head back, desperately wanting to feel his warm lips against my neck. For once I didn't need a warm room to stay warm in a man's embrace, my heat combined with Alcide's made it more than warm enough. His lips pressed against my neck and I shivered delightfully. His hands slipped down my waist, fingers finding the skin on my hips.
I heard myself gasp before I even felt the pain. First Alcide misunderstood my noise. I didn't blame him. His tongue flickered over the skin on my neck, leaving tracks of heat.
"Alcide, stop!" I breathed, feeling a painful shutter run through my body. Alcide's head jerked back, staring bewildered at me.
"Ashlyn?" He asked huskily. I pressed my eyes shut, the pain pressing a scream up through my throat. I pushed him away, tripping out of bed, yet again. The pain forced me to bend forward, grabbing the wall.
"The...poison!" I managed to press out through stiff, pale lips. It had gone from 17 to...too high! This was going to fast!
"Shit!" Alcide's voice sounded clearer now, fear grabbing hold of him. He jumped out of bed and grabbed me, pulling me upright.
"I need to..." I started, but a new round of fire in my veins forcefully shut me up.
"Vampires. I know. Eric?" Alcide said hardly and I looked at him, hurt gripping my heart. This was what I feared and expected. Resentment.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Alcide said tenderly and gently picked me up. He was able to read me like an open book, no doubt about that.
"Is...is it still dark?" I whispered.
"Sweetie, it's dark again. You've slept through an entire day. It's 8 pm." Alcide said with a crooked smile.
"Oh..." I said, slightly dumbstruck.
"Hurry...I need to change..." I whispered and Alcide carried me to the bathroom without another word. He put me down on the toilet lid and hurried back out to get my bag.
"You need help...?" He asked, not quite sure what to do.
"No, I'll be fine. I'll be out soon." I whispered and smiled my best smile. Alcide hesitated, but had to leave and close the door finally.
I pulled myself up, feeling a fever rush through me. I felt weak and foggy, but I managed somehow to wash up and put some make up on. Luckily I rarely looked at badly as I felt. I knew I had to look my best to catch the interest of a guy like Eric. And I knew I wanted Eric. Not knowing why I wanted him was a whole other question. I dug in to my bag, thanking myself for changing out its content with a few newer outfits from my suitcase. I pulled out a red, frayed miniskirt and a short, black corset-like top, basically just covering my breasts and a few inches below with wide straps crossing over on my back. A pair of black leather ankle boots with buckled details over it topped the outfit. I brushed my hair straight and before I left I dabbed some light blush color in my cheeks, covering up any sign of my sickness. My knees wobbled lightly as I left the bathroom, but as my pulse had steadied so had the pain. But it was there, in very big degree. Alcide turned and made big eyes at me.
"Wow...you don't look sick." He said and gaped, looking me up. I smiled meekly.
"I only feel sick. That's the upside of this, it's not visible." I said. I reached out for his hand.
"But I'm going to need your help a bit, I feel rather weak and...I don't want to risk running in to Raven alone." Alcide instantly grabbed around me, hands touching bare skin.
"I got you." He whispered and I felt the fever mix with the fever he seemed to create in me.
Alcide stopped his truck, this time not the "Herveaux contracting" van, just outside the entrance to the parking lot.
"You...can't follow me in?" I asked, remembering his reluctance last time. Alcide's face looked hard.
"No...not when the club is full of...no, I can't." He said tightly. I wrinkled my forehead.
"When are you going to tell me what the deal is with you Alcide?" I asked, remembering his sharp, yellow eyes in my dream. Alcide smiled, brushing his fingers over my hand.
"Don't you worry about that. Now go. Call me when you need to leave. I'll be here." He quickly, but clumsily brushed away my question, only strengthening my worry. But for now I'd let it be.
"Thank you." I said gently before slipping out of the van, hurrying over the parking lot, quickly glancing around me, in to the darkness.
"Pam." I almost breathed her name, seeing her at the door to Fangtasia. They had just opened and it was still pretty quiet. I was actually happy to see the over-glamorized blonde. If I ever planned on getting it on with a female again, I would definitely go for her.
"Well, lovely one. What brings your back here?" She said coolly, a crooked smile tugged at her perfect, red lips. She was wearing a red, body-hugging dress and she looked me up and down.
"You matched me tonight. How thoughtful." She purred teasingly and I grinned. She had matched the one shoulder dress with a pair of black, long, finger-less fishnet gloves and a pair of black studded ankle boots, giving the classy dress a rocked look.
"Pam, one day you and I are going to have some fun, putting all your...lesbian weirdness to good use, but right now I really, really need to see Eric." I said and walked up to her, her expression was priceless.
"Oh, you couldn't get enough last time?" She purred, rather intrigued, it seemed she liked my way of thinking.
"Can anyone?" I asked, winking at her. She shrugged her shoulders.
"He couldn't, that's for sure. He's in his office. Go right ahead." She said and I pondered her choice of words. Eric...couldn't get enough? Of what?
I hurried through the rather empty club, nodding at the bartender before pushing open the door behind the bar. Eric's head snapped up, ready to tell off whoever dared interrupt him. His face instantly changed from annoyed to surprised and he stood up so fast his chair tipped over. I pressed the door shut behind me, leaning against it and letting out a shivering breath. Even now, without touching him, I could feel the electric tingles reach out for me.
"Ashlyn." Eric breathed and was in front of me in two long steps. He cupped my face in his hands before I could take another breath and I was rather startled by his intensity.
"Where have you been?" He asked, almost scolding me, worry laced his voice.
"W...what?" I hated it when I stuttered. I sounded like a child.
"Where have you been, I thought you were dead. I haven't been able to track down this...Raven, but it was pretty clear he was after you. Has he hurt you?" Eric's jaws clenched, his perfect face looking tight and pale. I couldn't help but smile.
"What, Eric? Are you actually worried about me? Me? A girl you barely know and...nailed once the other night?" I blinked in surprise, not able to stop smiling. Eric's lips tugged upwards.
"Once? I believe I nailed you multiple times." He growled, this time pressing his long, strong body against mine. I sucked in a deep, shivering gasp, my eyes closing. The pure energy that instantly sucked my poison away was stronger than anything I'd felt before. I could've settled with that. His hands on my face, his body pressed against mine. But now I wanted more. All I saw, felt and heard was Eric, nothing else seemed to matter.
"More..." I whispered, gently pulling his white shirt out of his jeans and sneaking my hands under it, touching his hard, muscular body.
"Indeed." Eric breathed and lifted my up with great ease, letting me wrap my legs around his waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, digging my nose against the nook of his shoulder. Without any shyness at all Eric ripped the door open and entered the club. I kept my eyes closed, but I could feel everyone's eyes on us as we rounded bar and headed towards the door in the corner, leading to the dark hallway and the bedroom I'd only been in once before. I couldn't wait to see it again.
Smut, smut, smut, you know you want it. ;D